Lazy Sundays

1st July, we left Courcelles les Lens at 07:45 and headed towards our first lock at Douai.  We didn’t realise that the locks don’t open until 9am on a Sunday In this area but it didn’t matter because we arrived about five minutes to nine just as the lock keeper turned the lights from double red (lock closed) to red and green (lock being prepared).  We found ourselves sharing with a Spanish commercial barge and we cleared all three locks around Douai with him, and without incident.  Just after Arleux the Canal du Nord takes the vast bulk of the commercial traffic south towards Paris but we continued onto the Canal de l’Escaut when things became calmer, quieter, more scenic and narrower………BLISS!! Arrived in Estrun at 13:20 and took our spot on the public pontoon.  It is an idyllic location, off the main canal and part of a large basin surrounded by countryside.  The boys had a swim – followed by us – then it was on to the coach roof under the large umbrella for a few afternoon ZZZ’s!!  The weather hasn’t changed since we arrived in France…….SCORCHIO!!!